Egg Freezing
Egg retrieval:
This is the procedure to collect the eggs from one or both ovaries. It takes place in your doctor’s office or a clinic. The procedure is done 34 to 36 hours after the final shot of fertility medicine and before ovulation.- Before egg retrieval, you’ll be given medicine to help you relax and keep you from feeling pain.
- An ultrasound device is placed into the vagina to find follicles. Those are the sacs in the ovaries that each contain an egg. Then a thin needle is inserted into an ultrasound guide to go through the vagina and into the follicles to collect the eggs. This process is called transvaginal ultrasound aspiration.
- If your ovaries can’t be reached through the vagina this way, an ultrasound of the stomach area may be used to guide the needle through the stomach and into the ovaries.
- The eggs are removed from the follicles through a needle connected to a suction device. Multiple eggs can be removed in about 20 minutes.
- After the procedure, you may have cramping and feelings of fullness or pressure.
- Mature eggs are placed in a liquid that helps them develop. Eggs that appear healthy and mature will be mixed with sperm to attempt to create embryos. But not all eggs are able to be fertilized with success.